No. Why would you mark someone down for actually searching for papers? Many of the citation indexes dont include certain volumes or journals (I have a paper which can only be found in google scholar for example, because its a chapter in a USGS book and that book is not included in science direct or web of knowledge etc.). Some journals are simply not subscribed to a citation service (I think it costs them money to be included) the usual sources arent necessarily comprehensive. By searching a range of database, of which Google Scholar is one, then you are more likely to find what you need.

So, if you found an actual book chapter or journal article by searching using google scholar then you should be fine so long as you reference the original article and its place of publication. I would never want to read that you have used google scholar (or science direct or web of science/knowledge) as the search tool is irrelevant. So long as the referenced article is a proper academic source and not some crap trawled from the internet then its all OK.

I think that Inkscape (an open source vector drawing program) has the capability to vectorise stuff from a raster. Download it for free and use that.

I had thought about SLX – I just want to make sure that my old chainrings can be used at a later stage as the middleburns last for a lot longer than shimanos in my experience. I guess SLX is cheap enough to replace the lot each time mind you.

To be honest, I find most cranks fairly horrid to look at – they’re all a bit poncy looking and have too much branding all over. Shimano are the simplest looking IMHO so I was going to stick with them…

I’m with Bear on this one. I had the same thoughts as you and in the end decided it wasnt worth scalding anyone by accident so I fitted a thermostatic setup. I would rather have piece of mind than save a few quid.

[argument]

apparently, we can’t live without XTR…

Actually – it says that HE can’t live without it. He also can’t live without terrible-looking white shoes so I’m pretty sure we’ll see him on strictly come dancing soon… then we can vote him off in disgust.

[/argument]

Damn – njee got there first…

Also – looking at our web site (Durham), our next university open days are in the summer (i.e. just before your son would start applying) – these are designed so that potential students can see what university would be like. Then, there are post-application open days when students can come if they have been made an offer. You can often arrange individual departmental visits too by contacting the departments directly, but often the university open days are the best ones to come to as you get a feel for the whole system.

As someone who works at a university I would agree with the comments above that say uni is still part of the ‘real world’. Its a different type of education from school and college too, where the students are encouraged to think for themselves and look after themselves. For me, university was about growing up, finding my feet, figuring out what I wanted to do as a career, getting an education, making friends, doing sports etc etc. I.e. it is not just about getting a degree at all.

However, uni only really works well for someone if they put the effort in. If they do that, they not only get a good degree to stand out from the crowd a bit, but they also build their transferable skills (e.g. communication, computer literacy, numeracy, english skills etc.) so that they can then go into a career that suits them. You might do a degree in a particular subject – that doesnt mean you’d be stuck in that subject forever more.

I would not necessarily say that the uni environment is closeted, it is more of a ‘community’ and every student has different interactions within that community. Furthermore, subjects can be highly practical (e.g. engineering) or highly artistic and there really is something for everyone.

Encourage your son to visit a university open day or two to see what its like. Be pro-active about this now – dont wait for a school to organise a visit. I did – and I took my parents. My parents were as interested as I was since they never went to uni themselves. Perhaps such a visit would open your own eyes too. If he is thinking of uni, and if it can be afforded, I would also encourage him to go somewhere that is quite far away from family and school friends – the temptation fo home comforts is too much for some and can be a significant distraction.

In summary, university is great – it teaches you how to live your life in a way that schools and colleges cannot do. And go to open days (did I say that already?).

ahsat – I guess you’re going to AGU then? Me too – but no time to ride afterwards and with my wife also being there, there is no way I will be let near a bike shop!

Second for roaring mouse though – cool shop, though I dont think they do rentals (just demo bikes). I just went in for a look about last year – no time to ride then either.

AC/DC – Mistress for Christmas

Warm up here in Newcastle – shorts last night for me. But then, I wear shorts all winter whatever the weather. Mainly that’s cos I am too cheap to buy full length trousers…

I think you should stick with the liminous, but adjust your mounting position to something sensible. I am with Luminous on this one – I think you *may* have duffed up by putting a battery where you did – not the brightest idea. Mount the battery on the top tube and it’d be fine.

If you really need to change then the most FAIL-proof mounting option is to go for an exposure. I use an exposure 6 pack – all-in-one and no faffing with batteries. Long burn times and loads of light. I thoroughly reccommend it if you are intent on getting another light.

A quick search on google says:

‘put the mode dial into creative (e.g. Av, M, etc.). press menu, find live view function settings (middle yellow) in there enable sorted

then all you do to get live view is to press the set button when in use with the creative functions’

You should note that once in live view, you can probably set a particular button to do the focussing. Because live view means the mirror is locked up, you have to press a button (possibly *) to cause the mirror to flip down, the camera to focus and the mirror to flip back up. Then you can use the shutter button to actually take the picture.

To be honest, there are very few good reasons to use an slr by looking at the image on the screen like this – better to just look through the view finder if you can.

neil is correct – adobe flashplayer 11 is available as a release candidate in 64 bit. It works fine for me.

Well Jon, I was counting as people passed me. When you lapped me you were about 12th I reckon. But it sounds as if you made ground after that. I am reckoning Andrew made 6th or 7th at a guess. I reckon I was about 5th from last but given I was the only singlespeed out there I am happy with that as my aim was not to be last. My main problem was lack of arm power – standing up on all the climbs and running out of juice :(

Was good fun – was yo-yoing a bit and was trying to catch the same guy for the whole race. Finally went past on the steepest bit of climb on the last lap but felt like puking as I tried to keep a higher pace up to ensure not getting caught.

Was pretty friendly and good fun – I’d recommend it as a good way to try racing. You dont have to pelt round, just do it at your own pace and try hard if you feel like it… I didnt do very well in reality, but I tried my hardest – thats what its all about.

Not sure if I can make the next one, but will try.

Put it this way Jon, you are going to whoop me at this race. I havent done a cx race for 2 years and I hated it last time. No idea why I am going today. I think I am going to take it easy and try not to finish last. I will leave winning to you and Andrew… and if you bung me a tenner then I will try my best blocking manouvers on the riders chasing you!

Put it this way… I will be riding fully rigid SS at Innerliethen on Sunday too. So it cant be a stupid idea can it?

Will keep a lookout and will post to the Newcastle mtb club forum if its not already been done. Will let other club riders know tonight to keep eyes peeled too as they are live and work all over Newcastle.

STS.

You can hire stuff in this country I think. Look at Braemar Mountain sports on the web. Although they are in Braemar, I believe they will post you rental equipment so you can go on your hols and then you can post it back when you return. Probably cheaper to hire in resort though, although difficult to know whether there will be much gear. Telemark is not very big in Europe – we usually go a week and only see a few locals on telemarks – most people have their own gear and dont rent, so shops might not have a great range of gear for hire…

I ski with a group of telemark skiers every year – in 2012 we are going to St. Anton for a week most likely. Most of us are pretty advanced, but you are welcome to join us! We dont have any ‘spare’ gear though…

I really enjoyed the course and event this year (my 4th time doing Mayhem but hadnt been since 2008). I guess some people just dont get it – bad luck for them. I thought the event was excellent. The course is what you made of it. Climbs seemed easier than in previous years to me – but maybe I am imagining it. There was some decent techy stuff and great people along the way. It cant be too super techy as there are a large number of riders on it so its about a balance. It has to cater for everyone too – not just the kind of amazingly skilled super pro ultra athlete type riders like you get on STW ;)

ArcGIS (ArcMap) is the most used system – and in my experience is great. You could try getting a demo version and following the built-in tutorials to learn. I taught myself how to use it – fairly easy… and then I taught MSc level GIS in Edinburgh for a good number of years, where we also used ArcGIS, but I dont think they offer distance learning…

Good luck.

I had the same dilemma as you – troute vs. luminous vs. cheapo imports. However, I also found that Evans are doing decent prices on exposure stuff just now. You could get a maxx-D for £250 or a 6-pack for £360.

I went for a 6-pack – for me it had the best balance of power and battery life. And it has no faffy cables and battery bags.

Looks like it takes 120 roll film to produce 6x6cm (i.e. square) images. The first link on google was this which seems quite useful:
http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Bonita_66

I am guessing (as I dont have Excel any more as I use linux) but I imagine you are selecting to plot a ‘line’ graph. If you instead tell it to plot a ‘scatter’ graph you can tell it to join the dots by selecting the correct style of scatter graph.

Try it – and apologies if I am wrong.

*damn it – beaten by a few seconds!*

Wallace – I think this is where my head is going too. But I like cool, expensive, fancy things like the trout and luminous (though my wife doesnt like this).

Thanks all,
I had already been in touch with smudge about extra batteries for his decent light.

Lightman – I have been night riding for many many years – I kind of know what I need in terms of less vs. more. I want more power than I have now because when I am tired and still going fast on technical stuff then that bit extra power helps (so long as things are not burnt out). I find that with my lumi HID I am finding it difficult to see and thus compute a route fast enough when I am tired (part of old age I guess!). Not too bothered about much above 1000 or so, more interested in run time. Need the run time for winter rides, but need a new light for Mayhem – hence purchase now…

Still want to know users experiences of Luminous’ lights (particularly the 401) vs. Troutie, although going by previous ‘most powerful’ thread I guess not much difference.

I’m watching – certainly green wing-esque.

I work in a university – and surprisingly some of this is ringing true…

I think it is a test to see who the really gullible people are.

I do a lot of work on Antarctica – but only on computer (modelling) so alas, even though I may spend a lifetime working on Antarctica, there’s no chance I’ll get anything named after me!

Thought it might be. I have met him once – but only since he had his stroke. Dont think he’d remember me, but I do a lot of work with his colleague David. I have even taken students around some of the area where Chalmers did his phd! Well – congratulations to him – his legacy is a lot wider than a name in Antarctica though…

Is your uncle Chalmers Clapperton per chance?

I want to sell the lenses that came on my half jackets. The lenses are in perfect condition (it is the frames that have the issue – some paint is a tiny bit smudged).

Half Jacket standard shape black iridium polarized lens: £40 posted ono.

Am selling to offset the cost of getting a different set of polarized lenses which are darn pricey!

Please mail me if interested – mail in profile.

Thanks OP!
Mine arrived this morning after being ordered on Saturday night. Not a mark on either pair!

Tinners – send them back if you dont like them – they’re not to everyones taste! I have found the lens distortion to be much less than other brands I have tried on and for that reason I have stuck with Oakleys. I find that too much distortion when biking or skiing puts my balance off a bit – dont have that problem with any of my oakleys :)

Now – can anyone tell me where to get cheap additional lenses for my half jackets? Cyclestore is the cheapest I have found so far, but anywhere else? Also – what tints for:
1) night/evening riding
2) bright but overcast days

STS.

Like Paul Nurse said on the program, we need to be able to discuss probabilities more openly – that is the key part. Science, as a discipline, does not allow a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. This is difficult to get over to the public and the government and therefore, it causes difficulty when decisions are being made on something that is ‘uncertain’ even if the uncertainty is absolutely tiny. So thats got to be a key focal point for us science bods – help people understand about uncertainty, why uncertainty is healthy. People need to make their own choices about man-made climate change, but can be easily swayed by uninformed argument – its not their fault as without a scientific background its a difficult thing to interpret. Journalists surely have a responsibility (at least a moral one?) to be as rigorous as most scientists are, but I get the impression that some are happy to write only about the ‘facts’ he found on the internet without referring back to the peer reviewed literature. FAIL. I think it was plain for all to see just how poorly Delingpole stood up to even the lightest of questioning/probing. This year’s Durkin award for crap cliched climate conspiracy goes to…

We were fairly shocked at Delingpole – first of all he says he’s not got a scientific background, and then he says its not his job to look at the scientific literature to back up his writing. So what the heck is his job? Does he not feel any responsibility towards his readership? Surely journalists are taught to follow up more on their story – check the facts – speak to people on both sides. But oh.. hold on a minute… that would spoil the story… I do hope that many many people were able to see just how inadequate mr bellendpoles responses were. I’m sure he’ll claim the program was biased… not that his viewpoint is biased – oh no.

I do agree that part of the responsibility lies with climate scientists (like me) and that we must work harder at discussing our science with the general public. But I also think journalists should work harder at understanding the science before publishing about a ‘scandal’ that doesn’t actually exist. There has to be a bit of give and effort on both sides if we are to make progress in educating the public about what we do, how we do it, and why it is important… As it is, scientists are constantly on the back foot because of over-reactions like that one. Now we have to meet the challenge square on rather than complaining about it (which I just did – oops).

hmm – well things have changed with skis since the 90’s! Back then, if you were an expert skier and were 6′ tall then you would ski on a ski length of on or over 2 meters (there will be a length indicated on your skis somewhere!). Longer generally means faster but harder to turn. For a beginner, I would have been starting you out on skis that came up to around your chin if you stand next to them. And nowadays, with fatter, but more turnable skis, you would probably not be skiing anything much higher up than your nose.

So your second set of skis sound somewhat too long so they are likely to be a lot harder to turn or control than your first pair. However, if you got them for £10 then give them a go – nothing to lose – just make sure you set the binding tensions to a low number otherwise with a long ski and beginners technique you will end up ripping your knees apart…

Enjoy!

I took up telemarking a few years ago and never looked back. Its more technical than alpine, but more graceful, rewarding and – if I am honest – it gets you noticed on the slopes.

It took me about 1 week to get pretty good at it (after 28 years of being an alpine skier), and I would say I have now had a total of 6 weeks on telemark skis and I am now fairly comfortable in moguls etc., but with plenty more to learn.

I got instruction on a specific telemark ski holiday and then picked it up further by watching.

Best thing to do is book a weeks intensive ski holiday with a telemark group and hire some gear. I bought my own telemark gear as opposed to ski mountaineering gear as ski mountaneering gear doesnt allow you to ski free-heel down the slopes. It cost me about £250 for the boots, £300 for the skis and £150 for the bindings so not cheap! However, I think you can probably hire the whole lot for about £100-£150 for a week away.

braemar mountain sports (in braemar and aviemore, and online) is a place you can hire equipment in the UK (and take it abroad or onto the scottish ski slopes) – just give them a phone.

For a telemark ski holiday – try these:
telemark ski company
I have not been with them, but I believe they are pretty good. The company I went with no longer does tele ski holidays, so now I am part of a group of telemarkers that go on holiday once a year and simply learn from each other.

Good luck!

Tell me about it. Got to the metro at 7:40 this morning, bought a ticket and then was told that the train was ‘stuck’ at North Shields. Huge delays cos some lines came doown and because the points had frozen. So we just went home and I drove my wife into her work (no probs, but busy). I then came back home as there was no way I was commuting to Durham in the crappy traffic…

Best advice is to relax and enjoy it! I prepped a summary of my thesis (aim, why important, method, key results) so that I could explain everything clearly.

Dont worry about spelling mistakes etc. – they’re not a big deal and are easy to fix.

You are pretty much bound to get some corrections so don’t sweat it.

In the end, my viva was just an enjoyable/interesting discussion with interested people. We all had fun, no stress at all. I got minor corrections which took me 0.5 days to complete.

Good luck + enjoy it…

STS

If you want to try the ubuntu method, find a usb pen that has nothing on it (a couple of Gb in size is ideal). Then get on another computer and go to:
ubuntu download
Step 1: Download an iso file for ubuntu desktop. Save it on the conputer (not your usb pen!).
Step 2: use universal USB installer to make a bootable usb pen – just follow the instructions on the webpage above – it should be fine.
Step 3: put usb pen in your laptop and boot up – you will need to make sure you can boot from usb – either by going into bios or there may be a boot selection option as you switch on the laptop (I press F12 at startup and then select boot from usb for example). Then, when the appropriate menu comes up, press the run ubuntu from usb option (rather than the install option – which you dont want)…

Hey presto – you will have a whole new operating system where you should be able to get access to your other drives to get all the data off…

Weekends are overcrowded – yes, but then again, if you are going up over the holiday then every day will be busy so weekend will make no difference. Sometimes they will only open part of the hill – if it looks like this will be the case, they limit numbers so turn up early to ensure you can get up the hill. I.e. get there for when the ticket office opens.

No idea about places to stay or about new year.

Weather is the controlling factor for opening. I had several brilliant powder days up there last year – better than abroad! So dont write the place off until you have tried it.